Japanese women earn Olympic soccer berth

Published Sep. 8, 2011 11:32 a.m. ET

foxsports

Women's World Cup champions Japan secured a place in the 2012 London Olympics after Australia beat China 1-0 in the final Asian qualifying tournament.

Japan was held to a 1-1 draw with North Korea on Thursday. But Australia's win over host China guaranteed that Japan will finish in the top two in the tournament being played in Jinan, China.

Japan remained first in the six-team standings with 10 points, two ahead of North Korea. Australia moved up to third place with six points, while China dropped to fourth with five points.

The tournament ends Sunday. The top two teams qualify for the Olympics.